Who We Become
by WeLostTouch
Summary: Due to a simple misunderstanding, Alfred challenges the cold blooded Ivan Braginsky to a rivalry that will have to whole world watching on pins and needles as the two super powers square off. The final installment to the "Who I Am" series.


Who We Become

Alfred was without words. He had to flip through the book in his hand several times before fully understanding that it was real. Looking down at the worn cover, the truth finally sank in. Without a doubt he was holding a copy of The Communist's Manifesto. What was harder to swallow was that he had received the parcel containing the manual from a certain Ivan Braginsky. It must have been a joke because if it did come from the Soviet Nation that would be like declaring war on democracy, and he liked democracy. Blowing the whistle now was too risky; he did not want to give his leaders a false alarm with how high tensions were already. This meant he would have to collect more proof and with the world meeting just around the corner he would have an opportunity to gather evidence by his favorite method, direct confrontation.

Xx

_Innocent until proven guilty. Innocent until proven guilty. Innocent until-_ Alfred found himself repeating the phrase over and over in his head. It was the only thing keeping him from crawling over the table to begin questioning the violet eyed freak across from him. _Innocent until proven- Oh, fuck it! Look at that smug look on his face. He is soooo up to something. I know it!_

Occasionally the man in question would look over at him with his teasing smile frozen in place. Alfred never could bring himself to like the large nation, and trusting him was definitely out of the question. For years there was talk about how communism was corrupting the nations in the east and someday would make its way to the shores of his home, but Alfred had taken the murmurings with a grain of salt. Until now that is. "Innocent until proven guilty…"

"Is there something you wish to say, America?" an all too familiar British accent asked.

_Crap._ Alfred had not realized that he had said that last one aloud. Now all eyes were focused on him, even those alien forms of violet. He raked his brain for the best response that would draw away attention in a way that they all expected him to gain their attention.

"Nothing at all, Iggy." He smiled and slammed his open palm on the table for dramatic effect. "Except I have this totally awesome idea! We could all make giant robots to solve all of these problems for us! Dude! And when we have disputes we can have the robots fight to the death to decide who is right."

There was the desired response of disapproving sighs then followed by England lecturing Alfred the rest of the meeting about how impractical giant fighting robots were and how disadvantaged some nations would be due to lack of funding or technological advances. Normally he hated being lectured by the older man publicly, but for the time being it served its purpose of throwing off everyone's attention. It also used up the rest of the meeting time and since Alfred was not paying attention anyways, it had killed two birds with one stone.

England ended his lecture by adjourning the meeting. One by one the nations packed up their notes and files before heading out. That is, all of the nations except for Alfred and the representative of the U.S.S.R. The Russian man stayed seated across from him until the room had completely emptied.

"Is there something that you wish to discuss with me, America?" the suspect asked when they were sure no one could over hear them. "I doubt you were staring at me during the meeting to admire my beauty."

"Of course not." Alfred cringed at the thought of this man being called beautiful. "I wanted to question you about something…"

"And what would that be?" The Soviet quirked one brow and smiled in a way that Alfred read as challenging.

Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out the somewhat worn book that had been delivered to him not too long ago. He set the book on the table and slid it towards his counterpart. "Would you like to tell me what this is?"

Giving the book a quick glance, he responded flatly, "That is a copy of Marx's _Communist Manifesto_. I did not know you were a fan of his."

"I'm not." Alfred felt tenser with every passing second. "I received a copy of this in the mail just the other day. The return address was somewhere in Russia…"

"Is that so?" If the man was playing ignorant, he was doing a good job. "I wonder who that could have been."

"Don't be stupid." Alfred rose from his seat and leaned over the table. "You sent me a package that same day didn't you?"

"Da, I sent a parcel to everyone not long before today. I suppose you received your own as well. "

_Everyone?!_ All the talk of Communism spreading like a disease swelled like storm in his head. Everyone had received a copy of the manifesto. What if the weaker minded nations thought it was a good idea? The whole world could be painted red within days! _Guilty! I'll take this as a confession. He is totally trying to threaten my nation's way of life! There is no way I'd ever let this guy stamp the white and blue out of my flag. I'll show him!_

"Do you know what I think about the writings in this book?" Alfred jabbed the cover of the text between them. "They're a useless pie in the sky dream. The ideas are impossible and stupid."

"I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion…" he shifted in his seat as he slid the book back to Alfred. "I would happen to disagree."

"That's a threat to Democracy! This flawed logic would ruin life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! A man should have the ability to climb as high in society as he pleases based off of his own merit. If people go along with this everyone will be the same, but that's not real equality! Everyone forced to speak the same, believe the same, work for the same pay, learn the same things; that's not liberty. And can anyone truly be happy living like that?" Alfred threw the book over his shoulder and listened as it hit the wall before falling to the floor. "It's a load of crap."

Something changed him from behind the man's child like mask. Alfred had seen this shift several times during their time as allies, but now it was pointed directly towards him. As a tingling sensation crawled across his skin, he did his best not to shudder. With those lavender orbs focused on him, Alfred could sense the anger wriggling in its host across the narrow table's surface.

"I am happy," the Soviet started. "My sisters are also happy to be living with me once more. My friends have joined this union and living under Communist rule. We are all quite happy; a large happy family."

"Then why are you the only one that shows up at these meetings?" Alfred was not going to be intimidated by the frost bitten nation. "Where are your _friends_ and why haven't they shown their faces since they joined your little social club?"

The Russian nation narrowed his eyes. "I come to represent my family as a whole. We are all united as one. Just like your fifty states, da?"

"Don't you dare compare your rotten U.S.S.R to my country!" Alfred could feel a vein on his neck throb. "We're better than your fucked up 'family.'"

"Is that so?" The tall man stood up and stared threateningly back at him. "And what is it that makes you think that, young America?"

"Everything," he replied with a cocky grin. "Our weapons are stronger, our scientists are smarter, we never lose in war… We're better than you at everything we do."

To Alfred's surprise, the man began to laugh. "You are strong, you may even be smart, but someone as young as yourself will soon learn that no nation will stand undefeated forever."

"Is that a threat?"

"Do you play chess?" Reaching into a pocket in his jacket, he pulled out a white chess piece. It was a horse's head. "I would suppose you at least recognize this piece, da?"

Alfred nodded unsure of what the man intended. A dark shadow seemed to creep across the room almost like a separate entity. This was another thing about the mysterious nation that Alfred noticed during the war. He never seemed alone in whatever he did or where ever he went. There was always something strange standing behind him and now it turned its chilling attention on the American.

"You like to run around pretending you are the white knight, the hero. Indeed it is a powerful piece. On the rim it appears dim, but in the center of the battlefield it is a force to be reckoned with. However, one knight alone cannot win a game even when all that is left is the enemy's king. You know this, da?"

Alfred had no clue what he was talking about. When he was younger Arthur he was taught him the basic rules while he was still a cluster of colonies. All he knew was that those words were holding unspoken threats. They insinuated some unknown weakness the speaker could pinpoint no matter how the younger nation tried to hide it.

"You're just trying to distract me." Alfred could feel himself standing straighter in attempt to appear taller. "Come out and say what you really want to."

Suddenly the atmosphere cleared. The shadow disappeared and Alfred's nerves settled. Russ- the U.S.S.R. stood up from his chair and began walking towards the door. "You are strong for one so young, America, but I am strong too. I would love to play a game of chess with you."

Alfred was left to stand there by himself. He made no attempt to move or watch the man leave until the door closed behind him. The room was still and felt as cold as an ice box.

XX

Almost immediately after their confrontation, the U.S.S.R made its first move by blocking off access to Berlin. It was a simple blockade and hardly seemed a grand first move. Alfred made sure to step over the wall by joining the British royal air force in what the western Allies would call the Berlin airlift. It seemed almost too easy. Eventually the blockade came down less than a year later.

Alfred leaned back in his seat as he watched another plane take off from the comfort of his vehicle. He found their flight fascinating. Only a little while ago they would have been trying to bomb the city to bits and pieces, but now pilots were even dropping candy to the children of Berlin. A warm smile spread to the corners of his mouth.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Looking up at the window, Alfred was surprised to see the British nation standing outside with news paper in hand. He rolled down the window as fast as the hand crank would let him. "Hey, Iggy. What's up man?"

"For God's sake drop that stupid nickname, Alfred." The Brit was prickly as ever, but something else seemed to be weighing on his mind. He even slipped and used the name he gave America when he was just a handful of colonies. Never one to be too familiar, something must be a miss. "Have you seen it?"

"I know! Dude the blockade is gone totally going to make things so much easier." Judging by the way England was shaking his head, there was something else he was supposed to know about. "Arty, am I missing something?"

The short blonde pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you are going to use my name, use it correctly. And yes, you have missed something. Why were you absent from the meeting today?"

"What?" Alfred looked down at his watch and realized he had forgotten to adjust it for the time change. "Crap! What happened?"

"That's what I should be asking you." England let his obvious annoyance show in full color. "While you were out doing God knows what, we really needed you to back us up!"

A sick feeling began bubbling in the deepest chasm of Alfred's gut. He could almost sense the dark aura of the intimidating nation permeate off of his friend's clothing. "Arthur, what happened at the meeting?"

"It was incredibly reckless. I'm surprised the whole ordeal did not kill Germany all together." Arthur dropped the newspaper in Alfred's lap. "He split the country."

The word _"he"_ carried an undertone that made the person's identity perfectly clear without name or description. "What do you mean he split the country!?"

"He did just that and we could not pressure him into doing otherwise without you. He is turning his sector of Germany into a completely separate German state." The Brit leaned down so that his head was inside the vehicle. "As of today Germany has been split into the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic."

"Damn it…" Alfred pulled his fingers through his hair so fast that his glasses fell off. Recalling his own experience with splitting during his own civil war, he was well aware of how painful and distressing the process could be. "How is he? Has the split affected him?"

"I can't say…" England looked over his shoulder to watch another aircraft lifting off. "As of right now he is just showing signs of grief. Not that I blame him… He did have a panic attack of sorts and has been calling for his older brother for some time now. Seems he forgot that Prussia was… dissolved. Aside from that there have not been any changes in vitals."

Alfred stared at the East horizon. The first move had been made and now it was his turn to set the pieces in motion.

XX

At the next world meeting, Alfred once again sat across from his opponent. A new arrangement of seat had China sitting right next to the blond giant. It was an interesting sight to see. China was always wary of his Northern neighbor when the Allies were still working together. Now Alfred could see it was taking a heavy toll on the Ancient nation just to be within arm's reach of the man. Alfred almost felt sorry for him, but the fact that he was a red country now meant he had to be seen as a threat. And here he had hoped he could use China as a source of information.

Next to China was an equally nervous looking Korea. There were rumors circulating that north of the 38th- where they managed to stop the communism from spilling over to his half of the peninsula- invasion plans were in the making. If Alfred couldn't use China as an ally, he would settle for the younger brother.

As soon as the meeting was finished, Alfred made his move. "Hey Korea, I wanted to ask you something."

It was only for a split second, but he was sure he saw the U.S.S.R give China a signaling glance. As Alfred crossed the room to where the three were sitting, the taller nation took his leave, but China sat still beside his younger brother making random shuffling noises pretending to put his notes away.

"What do you want?" the nervous nation asked while glancing over his shoulder.

"I was wondering if you want to grab a bite to eat." Looking past the nation in front of him, Alfred then addressed the one listening behind him. "Would you like to join us, China?"

"Uh…" Alfred did his best to appear intimidating. He may not be the Siberian ice head, but he could be frightening when he needed to be. "No, but thank you aru~"

"Why not?" Alfred tried to keep the threatening tone in his voice while keeping a calm outer appearance as not to let the others in the room notice.

China's brown eyes seemed to be weighing his options before he finally answered. "Because you will probably go to some crappy place to eat or trick me into making lunch for you, aru."

"You're such a party pooper." He looked back to the person he really wanted to talk to. "How about it, dude?"

Thankfully he got the hint. With one more glance over his shoulder, Korea nodded his head. "Sounds good to me. You're buying, right? You know Korea invented fine dining so I know just the place we should go."

Side by side the two left with China watching them until the door closed behind them. The pair walked down the hall toward the elevator before Alfred quickly pulled the Korean nation into a broom closet. Keeping the door slightly cracked to peer outside, Alfred held the other nation pressed against the side of the closet.

"I didn't think you were into this kind of stuff?" his companion tried to joke.

"Shh! His coming…" Alfred whispered still peeking through the crack in the door way.

"Who is comin-"

Alfred clasped one hand over the nation's mouth as the sound of light footsteps could be heard walking in their direction. China walked right past the closet not taking any notice of its slightly open door or the blue eyes watching his every step. It was not until the elevator doors shut the ancient country out of sight that Alfred bothered to let go of the now annoyed Korean.

"What was that for?!"

"I didn't want him to over hear us," Alfred explained. "He's too chummy with that weirdo."

"Well cough it out then. What is so important that we have to discuss it in a cleaning closet?"

Alfred pulled the door completely shut. "I wanted to ask you about activity at the 38th parallel."

Korea's eyes became very sharp and his body language let Alfred know he was not going to easily spill everything. "Aren't you being nosey… You know people didn't have noses until people in Korea started wearing them. Now look what's happened. Everyone has a nose."

"I'm serious." Alfred pulled out a small stack of photographs from his inner suit jacket. "These were given to me by a little birdie. It looks to me like you might have a red army in the north."

The Asian man flipped through the photos and sighed. "I should have never invented spying… So why are you so interested in my country's affairs? Planning on kicking me while I'm down?"

"No, far from it." Alfred took the photos back and took a mental note to file them correctly once he got home. "I want to support your side."

"What?" The man's face went completely flat. "Why would you want to do that?"

"You don't want to go commie and I don't want those red bullies to turn you commie. If they try to pull anything, I want you to know that I'll support you full force."

"Hnnn…" For a minute or two Alfred felt his face being scrutinized by the eastern nation. Occasionally, he would mumble something to himself in Korean. Then his expression lit up. "I like you. You are almost cool enough to be made in Korea. You keep your word and you'll be cooler than my own brothers. But I wasn't founded yesterday… What other motives do you have?"

Alfred frowned. He did not want to give away too much information, but he needed this man's trust to really stick it to his enemy. "The Russian guy and I aren't exactly on good terms right now. Any chance to grind his communist doctrine into the ground I'm going to take. All I want is to beat him at every turn."

"So this is what a hero is…" Alfred did not know what to make of the man's statement or the strange smile that seemed to mock and approve of him at the same time. He offered his hand and the two man shook hands. "I look forward to working with you soon."

XX

During the Korean War, America supplied the majority of international soldiers that came to the aid of South Korea. Early in the war, both sides gained the advantage alternating the front back and forth between North and South. After three years, the two sides reached a cease fire with the border once again being guarded at the 38th parallel. The United States continued to keep men stationed in South Korea ready to lend aid in case of a break in the truce.

Within several days of the cease fire, Alfred received an unmarked package on his desk. At first he thought nothing of it and opened the parcel. Inside a small cardstock box, he found a solitary ivory pawn from an unknown chess set. There was no doubt in his mind who the sender of the piece was. Picking up the phone on the corner of his desk, he dialed his secretary.

"Hey, Marge, I need you to get me a chess set."

"Excuse me, sir?" Marge was a new hire and was not use to Alfred's random demands. His last secretary quit because of how often she was sent out to find seemingly useless items to keep him entertained. Not that any of the items were useless. Alfred always had a plan for everything he requested. "You need a what?"

"A chess set." He rolled his eyes and played with the phone cord. "Any cheap one will do. In fact, the crappier it is the better."

"Mr. Jones, I don't think that it's in my job description to-"

"Look I really need this for an important counterstrike against the unseen enemy. The less you know the better." Alfred made a large hand gesture even though the woman wouldn't be able to see it. "If you don't do this now, the fate of the whole country could be at risk. Our fate lies with you patriot."

This seemed to be convincing enough because Marge quickly hung up the phone after a short "Yes, sir!"

Marge must have been flying through the streets of D.C. like a demon, because no longer than twenty minutes later did she race into his office panting with a flimsy cardboard box. He almost felt sorry looking at the middle aged women with her hair now looking like it barely survived a hurricane. She placed the box on his desk and nearly collapsed to the floor.

"Is this good enough, Mr. Jones?" she gasped, still struggling to catch her breath.

"It's perfect!" He gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Why don't you head home early? We can all sleep soundly knowing that the world is a little bit safer thanks to you."

"Thank you, Mr. Jones." The poor thing was practically crawling out the door.

Once the door was closed, he stood from his chair and locked it. His attention immediately turned to the box of chess. He pulled the lid off and inspected the cheep board and plastic pieces. Picking out a slightly dented hallow black pawn, Alfred chuckled to himself. Using a letter opener in his desk drawer, he cut out one of the squares of the chess board and glued the pawn to it as if it were tipped over. With another chortle, he placed the modified piece in the same cardstock box he had received the ivory one in and tied it back up. By morning the box would be sitting on similar desk belonging to Ivan Braginsky.

XX

The Allies called together an emergency world meeting when seemingly overnight a giant wall had appeared in the center of Berlin. East Berliners were trapped behind a mass of concrete, razor wire, and sniper rifles. Accompanied by his faithful lapdog, Lithuania, Braginsky stood at the head of the meeting and unfortunately saying all the right things.

"As a union of sovereign nations, we reserve the right to protect and defend our borders," he stated with calm purple eyes scanning the many faces and smile mocking the irritated brows of his former allies. "Surely we all agree that this is the right of every nation, da? We simply wish what is best for our citizens."

"More like to hold them hostage," Alfred mumbled under his breath. A deep sigh beside him made Al sit up straight. He had not realized that Germany was sitting to his right. Suddenly he became aware of how he must have sounded insensitive. He tried to correct his mistake with reassuring words. "I'm sure we'll fix this soon, dude."

The meeting was ended faster than most. This was likely because most nations hated having to listen to the threatening Russian speak for such a long time. Alfred began packing up his briefcase more than just a little peeved. When he saw a shadow fall across his papers, he looked up to find a seemingly shaking Lithuania standing beside him. Without saying anything, the brown haired man set a familiar looking chess piece on the table before walking away to return to his master's heels.

Alfred rolled the pawn around in the palm of his hand. It was the same one that he had delivered to his rival only now it was painted red. Even the dried glue that had been pulled from the cardboard chessboard was still attached to the red piece. He squeezed it tightly and felt something poking out the bottom of the piece. Pocketing the plastic pawn, Alfred headed to his hotel room.

XX

The cold Vienna air wrapped around him as he leaned against the roof top railing atop the hotel reserved for the earlier held meeting. Tightly grasped in his fist he held a scrap of paper with "02:00, roof, L" scribbled on it. According to his watch he was a little early for the late night rendezvous. Showing up alone on a dark rooftop was risky and Alfred was very aware of that fact, but the weight of his trusty hand gun held close to him under his jacket offered some comfort.

"I'm surprised you came…" a small voice said from somewhere in the night. It was too light to be that Russian commie's voice much to Al's relief.

"Should I not have?"

"Perhaps not… But I am glad you did."

"Come closer, so I can see you." What Alfred really meant was come closer so I can use you as a shield against possible sniper fire.

There was light shuffling as the unseen person moved closer. "You see, I'm really taking a risk in talking with you, but I really don't have much else to lose. Feliks seems to think talking to you may help us out. I wasn't sure at first, but after seeing how much you push against Ivan I think I can see how."

Alfred was surprised to see Lithuania walking out of the shadows with palms held up to show his was unarmed. The nation's appearance put a knot in Al's throat and caused him to scan his surroundings for sign of _that_ bastard. He cursed the dark for making it hard to see farther than a few yards in either direction.

"I don't blame you for being suspicious." Lithuania pulled off his jacket and emptied his pockets to show he really was not a threat himself. That did not mean he was completely alone though…

"I'm just a little surprised that a communist's lap dog would come up to e with tail wagging." Alfred scanned the dark behind Lithuania. "Shouldn't you be sleeping in your crate?"

"Fair enough." Something began to burn behind the smaller nation's eyes. "I've lived sub-servant to Russia for quite some time now, but I'm through with it all."

"You're just going to quit?" Alfred snorted. "But you were so loyal to him. What could have possibly changed?"

"Nothing changed…" Lithuania began pulling up his shirt, which threw Alfred off because he had no idea what the man had planned. "I just got tired of this."

"Jesus…" The brunette's body was bruised and scarred. Some wounds looked recent, but other's had been there for a long time. Alfred really had no idea what was going on behind the Soviet veil other than the small tidbits his spies could dig up, but those were mostly military focused. "How did that happen?"

"I was blind for a long time. I didn't see what was happening because I didn't want to… Now I'm awake." Lithuania pulled his shirt back on. "I want you to know that this is nothing compared to what some less privileged nations are receiving. Feliks, Poland, is being held down in the cellar as well as the German Democratic Republic…"

"What are you talking about? Germany is just fine. He was sitting there in the meeting. You had to have seen him."

The Lithuanian sighed. "I saw West Germany at the meeting. I saw East Germany just before leaving for the meeting."

"There is no East Germany." Alfred was confused by referring to one man as two people. "That's just what we call the other side of Berlin."

"America, what I'm about to tell you cannot be shared with anyone else." Lithuania's face became dead serious. "If anyone else knew what I' about to say, there would be hell to pay; not just you and me, this effects everyone."

"I get it, what do you want to say."

"Prussia was absorbed by Nazi Germany during the war. The Allies were supposed to dissolve Prussia after the war was over, but you didn't do it in person. Prussia was Russia's prisoner of war; he would get to dissolve the nation."

"Where are you going with this…?" Something about the topic of completely erasing a nation made Alfred's skin crawl. He didn't know why it was important now.

"Prussia couldn't be dissolved because it was a part of Germany." Lithuania frowned. "Ivan made Prussia into East Germany, a separate state, to keep the man alive."

"You mean the red eyed freak is still alive?" He took a moment to pick his jaw up off the ground. "What does he get out of keeping that obnoxious thing alive?"

"He keeps him for a couple reasons: to use as leverage if in a bargain if he needs it, and as a punching bag." Lithuania looked sympathetic while kicking at the ground. "I really don't know why he does anything now a day."

"In what way do you think that I can help you?" Alfred asked remembering the reason why the two were there in the first place. "I won't be able to pull off an all out liberation without the risk of blowing the world to kingdom come."

"We don't need something so grand. We need you to challenge Mr. Braginsky as much as possible. That is all. If you keep opposing him and challenging him, we might just have a chance."

"So you want me to keep poking the sleeping bear?"

"Exactly." Lithuania smiled weakly. "See I've been taking a look at the financial records, and I noticed that he has been putting a lot of money into the space program. Sending up satellites, dogs, monkeys, men… I'm sure you already know about these things."

"Of course I do…" Alfred hated to admit it, but the Soviets were definitely ahead in terms of space exploration. They always seemed to be one step of him. "Please tell me you have a point to this."

"You see he is spending a lot of money." Lithuania held out both of his hands. "Right now he is spending within his means, but if he keeps pushing his spending production won't be able to keep up. It is a sort of financial warfare, if you will."

"Won't pushing him also cost me?" Alfred liked the idea of beating the smug smile off of his opponent's face, but would he be able to bear his own economic burden? "And what about you guys? What will you are going to do?"

"We have faith in you, America. You're a young nation compared to most of us and look where you stand. You're a major super power in the world." Alfred's head perked up when he heard mention of super powers. "I'm sure you will succeed. As for the rest of us, we cannot oppose him outright and there are some who actually support him, so we shall take the political approach from inside the beast."

The two men stood across from each other and a bell somewhere sounded the changing of the hour. Alfred was suddenly aware of how chilled the air was. Lithuania was standing there without a coat. He shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. "Look dude, I'll do what I can. I look forward to drop that bastard down a few pegs."

"Thank you!" Lithuania grabbed his hand and shook it rapidly. "I have to get back to my room before he notices I am gone."

They agreed to go back down separately; Lithuania would go down first and Alfred would go down twenty minutes later. With a swarm of thoughts humming in his head like bees, he walked to his room weary eyed. Moon light spilled in through a large bay window. Alfred stopped a moment to admire the large orb. Then an idea sprouted in his mind. Clumsy fingers dialed a private operator who put him on hold. As soon as he was connected, he grinned. "Jack, what do you think about the moon?"

XX

Lunar landings would have to wait. The whole country was sitting on pins and needles once news of Soviet missiles being shipped to Cuba became public record. Panic was slowly creeping in on the citizens and Alfred could feel the effects. His hands shook as he sat alone office. He did his best to convince himself that it was simply too much coffee. There was nothing to worry about, Bobby would fix things up. Still he found himself trembling as he reached for another glass of scotch.

"Mr. Jones?" Alfred dropped his cup causing its contents to flood across his desk. "I'm sorry, sir!"

"No, its fine, Marge." Alfred stood to acknowledge she had entered the room. "Is there any news?"

"I'm afraid not, sir." Marge held out a small box wrapped in brown packing paper. "However this arrived for you just a moment ago. I told the delivery boy you would receive it tomorrow morning, but he was very insistent that I give it to you now."

As he reached for the parcel, he felt how stiff his body had become from the nerve wracking tension. The box was light and whatever lay inside it jostled about as he took it into his possession. "Thank you, Marge. You should go home. I'm sure your family will want to spend time with you tonight."

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Marge was a very motherly character and that was why Alfred liked her more than previous secretaries. "I'm sure your family will want to be with you too."

"Haha, perhaps if they were here we would have dinner together." He shook the package gently and listened to the heavy rattle. "My older brother is in England and my younger in Canada. We don't pay each other visits too often."

"I'm sorry to pry. Have a good evening, Mr. Jones." She closed the door gently behind her. For a split moment Alfred wanted to selfishly run after her and monopolize her evening to keep him from being alone that night, but the brown wrapped parcel anchored him in place. All he could muster was to listen to her heels tap as she walked down the hallway and disappeared.

Holding his breath, trembling fingers pulled the twine that held everything in place and peeled back the thin wrapping. Upon lifting the lid to the box, another emotion gripped hi firmly. He threw the box across the room and watched with little satisfaction as the pack hit the wall. When it landed with a thud a white bishop slid out from its container and rolled across the office floor. The ivory piece was another attempt at mockery. Drawn into the long center of the religious piece was a nuclear symbol. Clearly it was a threat. Alfred reached a new level of anger that he had not felt in years. The game was not over.

XX

Vietnam. It was a blood bath. Men were dying at the hands of invisible enemies and betrayed by their senses in unfamiliar territory. It was a risky move, but with Communism from the north pushing out the French –albeit not too hard to do- Alfred had no other choice but to intervene. After all, the virus could not be allowed to spread.

Originally it was not high on the priority list, but U.S. involvement in the war would become highly controversial. There as protests against it and rallies supporting it. Some men enlisted with thoughts of honor and romantic ideas of war, others were dragged kicking and screaming when their draft number was called, and others fled the country. In the midst of battle, one victory was assured. They were the first men on the moon.

Alfred watched in silence with several other trusted nations as Armstrong took that first floating step onto that pock marked lunar surface. A small twinge of pride rang in his chest despite the growing concern for men and boys dying on foreign soil. It also made him feel guilty. He wanted to celebrate with the rest of the nation, but frequent involvement in wars was starting to make him question the worth of this competition.

"I am absolutely surprised," England said while patting him on the shoulder. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Iggy."

"I'm not-"

"You really have done well…" a small voice interrupted. "I guess all that tinkering of yours has been paying off."

Alfred looked over at his twin and blinked. He had almost forgotten that the look alike had come to watch the landing with him. He offered a sweet smile in return. "What you call tinkering, Matty, is what I call technological progress."

"I'm sure that this has Russian scientists blowing fuses all over the Soviet Union." Matt offered his usual shy smile. Good job."

Alfred wished he could feel happier. It really was a moment that would be forever etched in history, but still there was so much more change going on outside the room they were sitting in. Civil right movements, protests ranging from burning draft cards to leading sheep through Ms. America pageants, and now -after being behind every step of the way- his men had won the lunar race for the Land of the Free.

The gathering lasted a while longer until the food was gone and the celebratory mood waned. One by one his guests took their leave to catch flights back home. Only one person lingered.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, Iggy." Alfred slapped a heavy hand on the older nation's back hoping he would get the hint to leave. Usually the man was very good at social cues, but today he was pushing the limit on his welcome. "Should I pour you something to drink?"

"Oh, keep your drink and tell me what is really going on." England crossed his arms over his chest and took that "father knows best" stance he used to take when Al was still a group of colonies. "The Alfred I know would be an annoying prick running and shouting through the streets like a mad man over this. You made it to the moon and all we get out of you is some cool words and halfhearted smiles? What is wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about, Iggy?" Alfred smiled and laid another hard smack on his friend's back making the smaller nation almost fall forward on his face. "Everything is peachy."

"Oh, whatever! I don't know why I even bother with you sometimes. I'm just going to come out and say what I think even though I know you're not going to listen to me. Everyone knows about the little feud going on between you and Ivan. The tension in the air between you is so thick if I brought a butter knife to the next meeting I could cut out a piece and take it home. Clearly it seems to be weighing down on you, so I was going to be a good friend and listen to anything you had to say or whatever. Of course you're so stubborn I doubt you'd ever think to ask a friend for some venting time anyway."

"Dude, chill out. I'm fine." Alfred went for the liquor cabinet to fetch two glasses and a bottle of bourbon. "Here, let's have a drink."

Arthur reluctantly took the glass and sat in the armchair across from Alfred. "Don't think I'll just drop the subject with a full glass in my hand."

"There's nothing to discuss. I'm not afraid of that communist bastard and know for a fact that I'm going to come out on top. What else is there to discuss?"

"Alfred, you're people live in fear that at any moment one of you is going to press that big red button and take the world down with you. You feel what they feel. Don't pretend to their thoughts and fears aren't taxing your nerves as well. I've been through enough long term spats to know what you're going through."

A dense silence filled the room as Alfred took the first gulp. Maybe his friend was not too far off the mark, but he hated the thought of telling him that. After all, the island nation always acted better than him. Arthur was not exactly someone Alfred felt he could bear his soul to. Even when it came to talking to his younger brother he despised the feeling of being so vulnerable.

"Arthur…" The English man perked up at the sound of his name being said correctly. "Do you think I have a shot at beating this guy?"

"What sort of question is that?" He drained his cup quickly. "Do you really need to ask?"

"You wanted me to talk, so answer the question. Depending on your answer I may or may not humor you."

"Well that really puts me on the spot…" It was clear that the man was seriously weighing out both sides. Alfred would have preferred a swift confirmation. "Well Ivan is older, been through more wars, grew up in a terribly harsh man eat man kind of world, and has always been rather intimidating…"

"I think it's time to for you to leave," Al said while pushing himself up from his chair.

"But," Arthur continued. "As a young nation you were able to overthrow my governing, you expanded from one coast line to the other in such a short amount of time, and you became a world super power in a matter of a couple centuries… Let's face it you really showed a lot of older men up when it came to growth. Besides, I've got money wagered that you're going to put that Russian giant out on his bum when all is said and done."

"The other nations are betting on us?" Alfred set his glass down on the coffee table. He inspected the man's face for any hint of deception. "You really placed money on me?"

"A couple hundred pounds…" Arthur looked a little ashamed to admit he was gambling. "Really it's not something we intended. It sort of just started with some after meeting drinks and then…"

Alfred poured more bourbon into England's cup. "Dude, you must totally have faith in me if you're willing to put money on the line. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Alfred's sprits had been lifted. "Come on man! I put en on the fucking moon! Let's toast to that and my upcoming victory!"

XX

1979, when the U.S.S.R became involved in Afghanistan it was impossible to believe the Soviet Empire could collapse. By 1986 things began to swiftly change. Alfred saw supporting the opposition as a great way to get under his rivals skin and this time supported the groups with all the weaponry they'd need to drive out Soviet occupants. On June 12th 1987, Ronald Reagan issued the challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall as a symbol of growing freedom in the east. It was that day that Alfred approached the German nation's house.

Alfred had never taken the time to stop by the strict blonde's abode in the past. His home was very neatly kept to the point where Al felt his footsteps were an affront to the level of cleanliness. Sitting at a dining table across from the former adversary made Alfred slightly nervous.

"Thanks again for letting me stop by so suddenly. Hahaha…"

"It would have been rude of me to have turned you away after your leader's little speech now wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess…" The German's eyes seemed to drill into Al's inner being. "I came by because I've had some information handed to me that I'm sure you'll be glad to hear."

"Oh? And what news is this?"

"I can't say I know it's one hundred percent correct, but it comes from a pretty reliable source. At least I think they're reliable…"

"Are you going to tell me or just babble?"

Alfred took a deep breath. "Look dude, you know how your brother was supposed to be dissolved and like disappeared at the end of World War Two? Well funny thing is he might actually still be hanging around…My source tells me that the existence of East Germany is what's kept him from dying and if that wall comes down then he'd stay alive as long as you're willing to share the country with him."

Silence.

"Umm… So dude congratulations on your brother not dying."

Silence.

"Dude, you okay?"

Before Alfred could even register what was going on he was out on the front step of the German's home. Landing with an uncomfortable thud, Al felt the breath leave his lings as he landed on his back.

"I don't know what pleasures you get out of bring up such pointless lies about the dead, but tall tales will not be tolerated here." The man slammed the front door closed.

"Dude, I'm not lying!" He pounded his fists against the wood door. "I just want to help reunite you and your bro. I promise that wall is going to come and down and you'll get to see him again.

Silence.

Alfred took his leave.

XX

Alfred's words were true. In 1989 the wall did come down. Soviet Powers were diminishing at a startling rate. The end was in sight and the victor was all but declared. Alone in his office, Alfred held a black queen in one hand and a rook in the other. He could not decide which would better represent the defeat of the Berlin Wall. The rook looked more like a physical structure in appearance, but the queen was in his understanding a more powerful and valuable piece.

The sudden ringing of his desk phone jolted him back from thoughts of mockery. He pocketed both pieces and answered. "Hey, Tanya, what's up?"

"Mr. Jones, there is a man here to see you." His latest secretary sounded odd. Usually she had a bright bubbly voice that rang clearly across the office line. "He does not have an appointment, but he refuses to leave until he speaks with you."

"Send him in." An uneasy lump formed in the pit of his stomach telling him who it was in the receiving room. He could hear the soft tapping of Tanya's heels being followed by heavier clomping steps as they lead closer to his door. The door knob turned painfully slow.

"Mr. Jones, a Mr. Ivan Braginsky is here to meet with you."

"I know," Alfred vaguely motioned for the giant nation to enter. "Cold you leave us alone for a while, Tanya? Tell anyone trying to reach me that I'm out of the office and take a message."

"Yes, sir."

When the door closed it was just the two of them. Alfred noticed something odd about Braginsky. Instead of the trademark smile he always had plastered on he was wearing a stoic mask. There was no trace of thought to be found in the man's expressionless face.

"I never would have expected to see you in this office," Al started. "To what do I deserve the honor?"

The Russian man said nothing, but approached the desk Alfred was sitting at. Reaching into his pocket, Russia pulled out a black king chess piece and set it on the edge of the desk's surface. With one finger, he pushed the king onto its side. Alfred simply stared in shock.

"That is all I wished to say," the whispered.

"What do you mean that's all you wanted to say?" Al couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. "You're giving up?"

"This is what you wanted, da? I am putting an end to this."

"But why?" Alfred was genuinely confused. The past decade had been going very well for him, but there was plenty of time before that that the Soviet had him on his toes and second guessing. He couldn't believe the sudden surrender.

"America, I used to think that the only way to survive was to become strong and that when times got rough you had to become stronger. Throughout this little rivalry I have had to question that line of thinking." He rolled the dead king back and forth with his gloved index finger. "Right now I need to think about what is good for my people. I have poured too much into this chess game and neglected other important areas of governing. I suppose I have become wiser. And for that," he offered the king to Alfred, "the king is yours."

Alfred held the King in his hand in disbelief. A strange feeling of un-satisfaction washed over him. No direct punches had ever been landed, yet the past fifty years had been a roller coaster. Now it was over… or at least coming to a closing. Watch the man take his leave, Alfred stood to his feet.

"Ivan!"

The mountain of a man stopped and peered over his shoulder. Alfred tossed the king back to him.

"It was a great game of chess. Perhaps we will play it again someday."

That statement was enough to lure back the infamous smile. "I look forward to the next time. I'll be sure to make you a respectable piece of my family, da?"

"Don't count on it," Alfred replied with a wily grin. "I've become wiser too."

"Perhaps you have." The door closed behind the man ending the war that never happened.


End file.
